That's all 2006 is to me.

The stroke of midnight on January 1 signals no paradigm shift, no temporal metamorphasis, nor has it ever. All it means is that the Earth is in roughly the same orbital position adjacent to the Sun it was 365 days ago. There is nothing special about it, as every planet of every star system has its own orbital cycle of drastically varying lengths. Yet, every year, the masses perceive the changing of the year as a magical, universal transition point, a kind of metaphysical fresh start, a time to pledge stale "resolutions" which they rarely realize or achieve.

The date itself, MMVI, is an entirely human contrivance, calculated by using the birth of the chief Christian icon as a reference point. And even then, the concept is flawed, as it is now known that Jesus was actually born closer to 4-6 BC. That means that the "New Millennium," as we know it, should have begun between 1995 and 1997. But that didn't stop millions of people from placing religious and symbolic significance on a certain four-digit number, which, even if accurate, would have been one year shy of the actual new millennium.

And what's with the time of year the calender year begins? Eleven days after the start of Winter? Shouldn't the new year commence at the very beginning of a season, logically Spring?

Anyway, the only thing that today means to me, is that I have to get a new calender and write a different number on checks (a devilishly difficult thing to get to used). The world is no different than it was yesterday; we have not passed through any unseen gate of time. Still, I can't let that stop me from the fun of making a few predictions for 2006:

- Gas prices will continue to rise, rarely - if ever - falling below $2.50/gal. in the US.

- The New York Yankees will win the World Series for the first time since 2000.

- starwars.com will undergo a major change.

- The "reality show" craze will come to a grinding hault, and no more programs of its kind will be produced.

Sorry, that last one is just wishful thinking.